[TonzOFun]

Our team has always prided ourselves as being a primarily student designed, student build and student run team. I believe that if students designs the robot, builds the robot, repairs the robot and are able to effectively compete, a team will take away much more than by following an engineer's example. If you come by our pit at a competition, you will see four to five students repairing the robot and a mentor standing back, allowing the students to repair the robot as they feel is best, and no engineer in sight. Seeing something that I helped design, build and compete with do well makes me motivated more than anything else.

Our mentors are there mainly to do registrations, supervision and make sure we get the parts we need. Our mentors are there to help when needed, but help improve student designs than imposing their own. Our mentors are primarily there to do anything the students aren't aloud/unable to do.

Our engineer sponsors come in throughout the build season to check on our progress and help with any parts we simply don't have the machines to make ourselves. The engineers are ready to help if needed, but we try and avoid having any aspect of the robot engineer designed.

You want to see something interesting? A new mentor from a mentor-run team trying to work with a student-run team.